Rider

In-Depth Explanation

What is a Rider?

In the live music industry, a Rider is an addendum to the main performance contract between an artist and a venue (or promoter). While the main contract covers the financial terms (the Guarantee or Door Split), the rider covers all the logistical, technical, and physical requirements the artist needs to successfully put on the show.

If the venue signs the contract, they are legally bound to fulfill the requirements listed in the rider. If they fail to provide what was agreed upon (e.g., they don't provide the required drum kit), the artist can legally refuse to play and still demand their full payment.

The Two Halves of a Rider

A professional touring rider is split into two distinct sections: Technical and Hospitality.

1. The Technical Rider (Tech Rider)

This is the most critical document for the venue's production staff. It details exactly what audio and lighting equipment the artist is bringing, and what the venue is required to provide. It includes:

• The Input List: A detailed spreadsheet listing every single microphone, direct box (DI), and instrument that needs to be plugged into the mixing board.
• The Stage Plot: A visual map showing exactly where every musician, amplifier, and monitor speaker should be placed on stage.
• Backline Requirements: If the artist is flying in and cannot bring their own heavy equipment, the rider will specify exactly what the promoter must rent for them (e.g., "One Ampeg SVT Classic Bass Amp, One DW 8x10 Cabinet").
• Monitor Requirements: Specifying whether the band uses floor wedges or in-ear monitors (IEMs), and how many separate mixes they require.

2. The Hospitality Rider

This section dictates how the artist will be treated off-stage. It covers:

• Dressing Room Requirements: Number of rooms needed, mirrors, towels, and security.
• Catering/Food: Specific dietary restrictions (vegan, gluten-free), meal buyout amounts (if the venue prefers to just give the band cash to buy their own dinner), and the specific snacks and beverages required in the dressing room.
• Lodging and Travel: If the promoter is responsible for booking hotel rooms, the rider will specify the minimum star rating and number of rooms required.

The Van Halen "Brown M&M" Myth

The most famous story about a tour rider involves the rock band Van Halen. In the 1980s, their rider famously included a clause demanding a bowl of M&Ms in the dressing room, with a strict warning: "WARNING: ABSOLUTELY NO BROWN M&MS."

For decades, the public viewed this as the ultimate example of diva rockstar behavior. However, lead singer David Lee Roth later explained that it was actually a highly intelligent safety test.

Van Halen was touring with a massive, incredibly heavy, and complex stage production. If they arrived at a new arena and found brown M&Ms in the dressing room bowl, they instantly knew the promoter had not read the contract carefully. If the promoter ignored the M&M clause, they likely also ignored the critical structural weight limits for the lighting rig, meaning the stage was unsafe. The brown M&M was a "canary in the coal mine."

Writing a Rider for Independent Artists

If you are an independent artist booking a regional tour, you must have a technical rider, but you should keep your hospitality rider extremely modest.

• Tech Rider: Keep your stage plot and input list perfectly accurate and up to date. Send it to the venue's sound engineer a week before the show. This ensures your Sound Check will be fast and stress-free.
• Hospitality Rider: If you are playing a 200-capacity club for a $300 guarantee, demanding a bottle of expensive whiskey and a charcuterie board will make the promoter laugh and ensure you are never booked there again. Simply ask for a case of bottled water and perhaps a few drink tickets for the bar. As your draw and your guarantee grow, your hospitality rider can grow with it.